Reid says he will bring a health-care bill with public option

Updated 4:28 p.m.By Shailagh Murray and Scott Butterworth
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) announced Monday that he will seek to bring a health-care bill to the Senate floor that includes a government insurance plan, a major reversal from just two weeks ago, when Reid was leaning against the idea.

He also called for the bill to include a version of the so-called public option with an clause that would allow states to decide by 2014 not to participate in the government plan.

"The best way to move forward is a public option with the opt-out provision for states," Reid told reporters, adding that he "clearly" believes that such a bill would have "the support of my caucus."

It also has the support of the White House, which said that President Obama was "pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out."

The proposal Reid discussed Monday is a merger of two bills previously passed out of Senate committees.

"Decisions had to be made as to what different issues would have to be eliminated from one of the two bills, and we did that," Reid said, adding that he would ask the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the effect of "a number of alternatives that is a different meld of those two bills."

Under pressure from liberal Democrats to include a public-option provision in any health reform bill, Reid has carefully canvassed the Senate in search of 60 votes. So far, he has not locked down commitments from every Democrat, Senate sources said.

"I believe that a public option can achieve the goal of bringing meaningful reform to our broken system. It will protect consumers, keep insurers honest and ensure competition," Reid said.

Other public-option approaches on the table include an "opt-in" provision for states that many Democratic moderates prefer; and a "trigger" that would create a government plan if private insurers do not offer policies at affordable prices.

The latter has been promoted by Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), the lone Republican to vote thus far for health-care reform in the Senate, and the White House has been anxious to enlist Republican support for the health package.

But Reid indicated Monday that he would not be swayed by her opinion.

"I spoke to Olympia on Friday. I've talked to her on a number of occasions. And at this stage she does not like a public option of any kind," he said. "And so we'll have to move forward on this."

Reid later returned to the question of Snowe's vote, and those of Republicans.

"I'm always looking for Republicans. ... It's just a little hard to find them, and we've had to do a lot of this on our own," he said.

A little later, he added, "You know, one of the things that's been so astounding to me is, when I came here to the Senate, we had a lot of moderate Republicans who worked with us on everything, and we worked with them. ... But this modern Senate Republican [caucus] -- who, in my opinion, don't represent the thought process of Republicans throughout the country -- haven't been willing to help us on anything. So we hope that Olympia will come back. "

Polls say that the majority of Americans oppose a "Public Option." Polls also say that a majority of Americans are in favor of a "government run insurance policy that you can buy as an alternative to buying from an insurance company."

If they had just called it "Medicare," it woulfd be up and running, and almost everyone who is already covered by private insurance would be saving a boatload of money on premuims.

I give Harry Reid many kudos, for giving the Option a chance, no thanks to Obama, who I have come to distrust.

Obama is only for the "Trigger" option.

He'll have his press corp and advisors tell you otherwise, but honestly, if he were for the "opt out" or any other idea wouldn't he come down to the congress's backdoor and say so, try to persuade, when congress is pleading for him to do so?

No problem.
Now just put the full bill out for public view with at least 2 weeks notice, giving enough time for the public to see what Congress is doing to them. After all, if it's something the majority really wants, then we can all have an open debate and let our Congressmen know what we think right?
I mean, what could Congress possibly be afraid of? The truth?

Those elected Democrats in the Senate and Congress that don't support a robust Public Option without any triggers or opt ins or outs, will be targeted for replacement at the earliest possible time. As quickly as true Democrats can be found to challenge these traitors in primary elections, we have to be ready to send support. No matter how the healthcare reform debate ends, the process has shown us who our true friends are. Every progressive Democrat and Independent should contribute as much money as possible to those who challenge the traitors.

We don't need Max Baucus and we don't need Blanche Lincoln and we sure don't need Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. Our country is trying hard to recover from 8 years of Bush and his lawbreaking administration. To truely recover and get well, America needs better people than these bums serving in the Senate and Congress.

In 2010, we've got to go to the polls and give the President the remaining true Democrats that he needs to get things done. If we replace just the sleezebags named in this post, we've got it made. America can then get better over the course of the next 2 years instead of the next 20.

Serouslt, is there a more incompetent senator than Harry "donothing" Reid. He takes his cues from moveon and huffingtonpost, NV voters intend to toss this bum. Too bad they have to wait another whole year. Reid can do a lot of damage by then.

I agree with scottilla, there would have been a lot less opposition and confusion for that matter if the Public Option had simply been presented as "Medicare for everyone else." I would imagine CMS will be running the public option plan, which means that plan will have overhead of between 2 and 3% (covering all of their expenses--facilities, utilities, personnel)compared to 30 percent overhead at commercial insurers. I have been FOR the public option all along because it is the ONLY way to keep insurance companies honest. If they have to compete, then they will find a way to either keep their costs down or improve their quality (people will pay more for quality--it is a market principle). This will end the days of billion dollar salaries for the Health Insurance CEOs, end the posh conferences, private jets, private yachts, etc. and put health insurance premium dollars where they belong--paying for health care. Kudos to Senator Reid and the growing number of Democrats lining up to support the public option.

Looks like Reid's platinum, Capitol Hill health plan DID cover a spine transplant, after all! Hopefully this is the first step to helping fulfill Obama's campaign pledge that we can all have access to the same insurance he has.

I think a public option will be good for the country. If private insurance companies do not have competition they have no incentive to lower prices.
In a way similar to airline pricing..on routes where airlines are in direct competition fares are almost always reduced. Compare those prices to routes where one airline has most all the flights. In can be as cheap or cheaper to fly from DC to say LA..than from DC to West Virginia.

"We know there is nervousness among Democrats over this increasing view that Congress is acting like a teenager with their parents' credit card, not worried about who's going to have to pay the bill," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky

Republicans continue to poke fun, support big business, use buzz words, and have nothing to offer (unless it is to make the rich richer). I have not read or heard one word of substance from a republican on our health care problem. I have heard them support the millionaire CEO's who run insurance companies and make their blood money from denying coverage to those who need it the most, after years of paying their premiums.

It should be obvious by now that the Republican's represent the rich and lobbyists or anyone who can throw a lot of money at their campaigns. That is why they are being funded so well now by big business so they can continue to get laws passed that favors them while putting the screws to Main Street. When tax breaks and laws are passed for the rich you never hear anything about the "free market" but as soon as they pass some laws to protect the little guy from the leaches who steal our money they scream let the free market work. It never was free, you greedy A.H. As long as you have your Republican representatives passing laws to allow you to do as you please and forcing middle class to pay, it will be a market run by the rich endorsed by immoral laws passed by Republicans who could care less about what is best for the country as a whole.

Everyone calls the Republican party the party of NO. Not true. They are the party of YES when it comes to passing laws to give tax breaks to the rich, going to war, passing laws that favor unfair practices by big business, etc. They do say NO when it comes to taking care middle class Americans who have to work for a living.

Yes! Every other developed nation has some form of universal health care. Their people live longer than we do, they're healthier than we are, they pay half as much for health care, and nobody ever goes bankrupt because of medical bills.

It's time for the US to join the 21st century. We need a public health insurance option.

See Senate at work under Majority Leader Harry Reid who will canvas Democrats to get the 60 votes needed for Obama's bill. Call you Senator to oppose the “railroad job” to pass a bill that Americans do not want. Polls show public opposition over 2:1 against the bill.

Harry Reid has a right to change his mind. The American voters want to know who has the most influence on Senators. Is it the American voters or the Party politicians in the White House? Who will your Senator listen to?

There need to amend the consitution to only permit voting to people who actually pay tax. This would get rid of people voting for candidates who promise free stuff, and put an end to fiscally unsustainable pursuits like the Public Option. As long as people who pay not a single penny in federal tax can vote, we are on the road to economic collapse.

For the tens of millions of Americans without healthcare, for the millions of Americans who have healthcare but discover that life saving procedures are being denied by their healthcare insurers, and the thousands of Americans who die each year when their policies are suddenly cancelled on the eve of life saving surgerys......THANK YOU SIR.

And it will be a complete disaster. It will operate in the red from the first day it starts, just like Medicare did. Which means that instead of you and I just paying from every paycheck for health care that we may or may not use in our retirement, we'll be paying for health care for everyone who doesn't have a job RIGHT NOW, forever. Yep, makes perfectly stupid sense..

Why not just temporarily give free health care to those who are legitimately out of work, with hard requirements for receiving it and fixed time limits on the duration (no more than 18 months, tops), much like welfare. The emphasis should be on getting people jobs where they will receive health care through an employer or wages that they can use to purchase health care.

One blogger complained that Medicare is going broke. True, but why? Could it be because the premiums that social security beneficiaries pay through social security are being used to pay for other things, such as two wars, or subsidies to health care HMOs and Senior Advantage Plans? What we need is a health care system paid for by the American people through an expansion of medicare where the funds collected from the people are used only for health care in a fool proof trust. It would not be a perfect system but any problems could be delt with through Congress. This could happen only if the majority of people want it and remain engaged with the process, making sure through their representatives that the funds collected are used only for health care.

it appears that reid's nose is getting longer.
and when did the senate agree to this? oh, it was dingy harry, with the ugly witch of the west - nancy, and boy hussein.
sell your property in dc marist boys and girls - your time is up.

all of you idiotic so called "democrats" & "Liberals" should look at the facts rather than what the media tells you. the public option will do nothing but force everyone onto medicare as corporations find new "cost savings" by not offering healthcare. Now some of you will say "hey there is a penalty for corps who do not privide healthcare" but lets remember if the penalty is cheaper than offering health plans guess what corporations will choos! say bye bye to good health coverage.

and if you think medicare works (it is broke) get a grip. the best otion to lower costs would be to reform medical malpractice law so that your doctor doesnt have to order every test imaginable if you have a cough just so they dont get sued. also insurance companies should be allowed to sell across state lines. this would eliminate the monopolies that you are all complaining about without pushing the government on all citizens with no benfit to any. once a company in florida can sell to people in idaho there will be plenty of competition to lower costs.

i am extremely dissapointed that i voted for these idiotic dems in the last election. i will not be making that mistake again!!!!!!!!

I recall that the Federal Government ran a surplus under Clinton's presidency. It was George W. Bush who turned that surplus into a deficit. Some presidents make government work, others make it unworkable. Just because the latter don't know how to make government work, doesn't mean that government can't work.

Victory is close, people. What remains is to see the conditions of the states opt-out. Obama has to support this bill and forget about catering to one Senator who is going against the current in her state. This reform is not about Olympia Snowe. It is about the American people.

As for Nelson, Lanruie, Lincoln, and other blue dogs, if you join the filibuster then you can kiss your careers goodbye.

For the tens of millions of Americans without healthcare, for the millions of Americans who have healthcare but discover that life saving procedures are being denied by their healthcare insurers, and the thousands of Americans who die each year when their policies are suddenly cancelled on the eve of life saving surgerys......THANK YOU SIR.

Posted by: logcabin1836 | October 26, 2009 3:55 PM | Report abuse

So you actually believe you will have unlimited healthcare with out any conditions???? Look at the org. they run. DMV, Medicaid, SS, all full for traps that prevent millions from getting what they need. And yet you think they will let you get what ever you want with no conditions. There's sucker born every min. In the US it's more like every 15 seconds. LOL

Sounds as if there is going to be a good bill after all. I think the right for states to opt out is an excellent idea. Those backward states which might opt out need to learn just how things will go when they get their ignorant way. There should be some restriction as to how quickly they can opt back in after they have found out just how they have screwed themselves. There is also going to be some difficulty in administering the program to prevent those who live in states that opted out from going into states that are in the program. I think those states that do opt out should be given that option in most federal programs in order that they can experience the absolute chaos that their thinking can create. Obviously, they are not going to find out any other way. Education has not done it and probably never will.

Hey Harry, tell me how your wonderful program works? The tranparency must be for the back room boys only. Come on Harry, tell Americans what is going on. How does the state opt out work? What happens if a multi-national company has offices in California and New York. Say California opts out, and the employees keep their current insurane, and New York opts in. Does this mean that New York employees of the multi-national now get cheaper coverage than those in California? How does a company deal with this? How will the doctors and hospitals be compensated? What is the pricing on the option versus private insurance? Harry, you sound like a tired old man. Do everybody a favor, and go away, and take Pelosi with you.

More power to the majority leader. This is something most Americans have been waiting for (see the latest ABC/Washington Post poll), and it's high time for Reid to flex his muscles.

Policy analysts on both sides of the aisle have said a "trigger option" - reverting to a public option if the bill's other provisions fail - will be an unworkable and ineffective solution.

President Obama seems to believe the value of keeping Sen. Snowe on board outweighs the benefits of a bill with an opt-out public option. It does not. Republicans will laugh at any Administration claims that the bill is "bipartisan" on the basis that a single moderate Republican voted for it.

But being remembered for watering down the bill so that one political opponent could support it will be an embarrassing legacy for the administration and will do much less to help hard-working yet struggling Americans.

Passing an opt-out option, which allows the plan to prove its efficacy to the most conservative states, will provide real support to those who need - and deserve - it most. Kudos to Sen. Reid.

I know, let's all quit our jobs and close our small businesses and let Harry Reid and his flunkies support us.. Now wouldn't that just be sweet... Give me a break.. I think I know how to spend my money a lot better than his cronies... FED UP in NJ

OPT-OUT: COP-OUT. Come on Harry, you made one tenative step towards doing the rational and right thing. Keep going. Opt-out will sabotage the entire plan. Then you can tell the corporations that fund your campaign that you really did their bidding after all.

THe only good thing about the opt-out is that it will reveal which states don't care about their citizens.

Blue states in. Red states out. As long as each state's decision is irrevocable. Once Medicare Part E becomes a roaring success, politicians in the Red states can explain why they voted to opt out. Insurance works when it is widely purchased (universally is best). It provides compensation when a contingent event occurs. Most premium payers will not experience a contingency. Those that do won't go broke handling the contingency. Insurance is not to be regarded as a financier's dream arena in which to fleece premium payers. Oh, and most important, premiums are to be used only to pay healthcare expenses, not to shore up the budget in lieu of tax rises and/or to pay for the latest neo-conservative war-on-something.

The Congress, as run by Pelosi and Reid, will say whatever they think is the right thing to say that day. They have no leadership skills and are out of touch with most people. A public option that states can opt out of? How crazy is that? Either put it in all the way or leave it out. Reid is taking a lesson from Obama, don't lead the country, just look good and say the right things based on the polls. The good news, Reid is history in Nevada come 2010. Thank God.

The problem with an opt out provision is that all of us living in the south will get shafted by our right wing governors who just love to continue play politics with our lives. Texas and Harris County have one of the highest rates of uninsurred in the country guess what our governor choose regardless of the evidence. Even if the public option proves to be succesful in coming years, our local politicians will demagogue what is literally a life and death decision with concern for nothing more than raw unbridled politics, period. If you live in New York or California you will have it. If you live in Texas or Georgia forget it. Wonder what 1 Senate vote was worth worth the price of this sell out and creating a patchwork healthcare system with the haves and have not states. Ben Nelson anyone.

Why would any state in its right mind decide to "opt out" of a public plan? To do so would be a slap in the face of its citizens, and would certainly be a major disadvantage in luring new businesses and attracting new population.

"I know, let's all quit our jobs and close our small businesses and let Harry Reid and his flunkies support us.. Now wouldn't that just be sweet... Give me a break.. I think I know how to spend my money a lot better than his cronies... FED UP in NJ"

_________________________________________

If you actually had a small business you would welcome the public option.

Because of runaway health-care costs America and American businesses cannot compete -- either domestically or internationally -- with nations and foreign businesses that are not burdened with America's extortionate health-care costs.

"U.S. hourly health benefits costs were $2.38 per worker per hour in the manufacturing industry – considerably higher than the foreign trade weighted average of $.96 per worker per hour" ~ (Source: The Heritage Foundation)

America's extortionate health-care costs are just one reason why no other first-world country has ever contemplated adopting America's dysfunctional, overpriced health-care system.

Instead, they adopt and adapt each others -- with the benefits plain to see: Vastly lower costs than in America; better medical outcomes than in America; longer life expectancy than in America.

This is America's current health care cost: 16% of GDP

Here are the costs of some other first-world nations:

Japan, 8.1%

U.K., 8.4%

Germany, 10.4%

France, 11%

Canada, 10.5%

Israel, 8.1%

The American economy is being hobbled by health-care costs. And, without substantial, systemic change to a public option, it is only going to get worse.

Who benefits from this hobbling of the American economy?

Not the average American. Not the average American business.

As the saying has it, "Follow the money..." all the way back to the insurance companies.

"Between 2000 and 2007, the 10 largest publicly traded insurance companies increased their profits 428 percent, from $2.4 billion to $12.9 billion, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

"During the same period, the number of insurers fell by nearly 20 percent, largely because of a huge wave of mergers that led to stunning consolidation. And premiums increased by more than 87 percent, rising four times faster than the average American’s wages."

Sounds as if there is going to be a good bill after all. I think the right for states to opt out is an excellent idea. Those backward states which might opt out need to learn just how things will go when they get their ignorant way. There should be some restriction as to how quickly they can opt back in after they have found out just how they have screwed themselves. There is also going to be some difficulty in administering the program to prevent those who live in states that opted out from going into states that are in the program. I think those states that do opt out should be given that option in most federal programs in order that they can experience the absolute chaos that their thinking can create. Obviously, they are not going to find out any other way. Education has not done it and probably never will.

Posted by: kycol2 | October 26, 2009 4:11 PM | Report abuse

That’s fine. I like the time limit for opting back in. With that said there should also be a time limit for opting out after signing on. So when the people of your state realize there being forced to pay up to 6700.00 per year on an annual salary of 50,000.00 which they cannot afford they should be forced to pay it for a min. as well. Is this acceptable to you?

.....wait for the final version of the Bill, where YOU will find the details that in the future the Congress can modify the terms and details as needed.

It still amazes me the number to people that will believe anything that a Politician says or promises !!!

Here's a shocker.......NOTHING is free.....especially ANYTHING that is furnished to you by the Govt.!!!

YOU, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer/Voter/Citizen will pay well for everything that the Govt. furnishes to ANYONE !!!

Wake up folks, They (Congress)has it's hands deep in YOUR pocket and it's just about to go deeper !!! That's taxes out of YOUR pocket that otherwise you could spend on yourself, your family and your friends !!!

Thank you, Senator Reid. This is a great idea. Let the elected officials explain to their neighbors in their own state why they don't want to give competition to the insurance companies. If the people in a state are so pro-business that they don't want good pricing they can opt out. Others will enjoy the choice of a private or public plan.

Can't help but wonder about which states will opt out of the public alternative, the politics between here and there (and beyond), the weaknesses of legislation presenting this opt-out opportunity. For instance, what would be the efficacy of national health care reform if states with neo-Confederate sentiments move en bloc to opt out, states like Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina?

We're in the middle of a crises led by the same "public option" non-sense and we're clamoring for more. Nothing explains this cult like mentality except faith and wishful thinking. Bring on those "right wingers" and "bible thumpers" in the govt. Let the left be forced to follow religious dictat like they enforce on the rest of the country.

Because those States that will decide to opt-out from the government system are going to be publicly slammed by radical liberals and labelled as "insensitive, profit-monguers," and etceteras. They are going to mobilize the people in those states and public pressure will be enormous, so local polititians will be forced to opt-in, due to the the pressure comming from the mobs. People will buy it and it eat with gusto. Mob power.

To force this on the states at this economic time is really unbelievable. First you fix the health care industry, THEN you see about getting everyone insured. Typical Democrat Party move, cart before the horse. Of course, the reason they (and Republicans too) don't want to do the job of fixing the health care industry is because they don't want to lose the election dollars they receive from lawyer, drug company, and insurance companies.

OK fellow liberals progressives and DFH's, you've been dumping on Harry Reid since he became majority leader. His re-election campaign is in deep deep trouble. When are you going to Nevada to ring door bells for him ?

He delivered for us, we better deliver for him or the lesson will be clear -- do what we don't want and we will verbally abuse you, do what we want and we will be sincerely sorry when you lose the next election. Do what we say, because won't it be wonderful to have so much sympathy when you are voted out of office ?

I don't believe in bribery, but, after the fact and all that, I am trying to donate money to Reid's campaign committee. I am googling. I can't find it. After more minutes of googling than I recall ever being required before, I have found www.harryreid.com (ok big surprise) which claims to give me a chance to donate to something related to the Senator. Googling www.harryreid.com fraud and wwww.harryreid.com scam doesn't link to a site saying www.harryreid.com is a scam.

I will donate, but I am not so sure that someone who makes it so hard to donate to his re-election committee is a political genius. I mean really I am trying to send money to the Senator's campaign committee. I have never had any trouble giving money away before.

Reid spins like a weather vane.He would actually be funny until you remind yourself he is supposed to be the Senate Majority Leader.The good people of Nevada will most likely tell Harry not to come home.

1. Israel - Population 7.5 million
2. Canada – Population 35 million
3. France – Population 62 million
4. Germany – Population 83 million
5. Japan – Population 130 million
6. UK – Population 63 million

USA – Population 350 million.
With 125 million on welfare.

Every country you added to your list totaled still does not equal the population of the US. So it’s meaningless.

And that's due to Medicare/ Medicaid. Do you think this number will drop when the rest of the welfare and unemployed are added. Even a 1st. grade math class you tell you NOT. Plus most of these countries require citizens to be employed. After taxes pay the medical bills. So adding the 50% of the US that doesn't work and feeds off of the public teat will only cause this to crash and burn. We need employment reform. You cannot allow half of the country to sit on their buts and not contribute. I say if we are forced to enact new healthcare then we also need to make people responsible. If they cannot get off of welfare or other Gov (tax payer) subsidized programs after a year then they should be forced into military service. Guess what. It comes with unlimited FREE healthcare. I wonder if all of those championing a public option are prepared to pay the costs??? This will be passed on to us and those who work will be paying for those who don’t When the taxes taken out of your pay check hit 45-50% we’ll see if you still back the public option. Money has a strange way of changing people’s opinions.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year: the 35% of independents describing their views as conservative in 2009 is up from 29% in 2008. By contrast, among Republicans and Democrats, the percentage who are "conservative" has increased by one point each.

As is typical in recent years, Republicans are far more unified in their political outlook than are either independents or Democrats. While 72% of Republicans in 2009 call their views conservative, independents are closely split between the moderate and conservative labels (43% and 35%, respectively). Democrats are about evenly divided between moderates (39%) and liberals (37%).

OK fellow liberals progressives and DFH's, you've been dumping on Harry Reid since he became majority leader. His re-election campaign is in deep deep trouble. When are you going to Nevada to ring door bells for him ?

He delivered for us, we better deliver for him or the lesson will be clear -- do what we don't want and we will verbally abuse you, do what we want and we will be sincerely sorry when you lose the next election. Do what we say, because won't it be wonderful to have so much sympathy when you are voted out of office ?

I don't believe in bribery, but, after the fact and all that, I am trying to donate money to Reid's campaign committee. I am googling. I can't find it. After more minutes of googling than I recall ever being required before, I have found www.harryreid.com (ok big surprise) which claims to give me a chance to donate to something related to the Senator. Googling www.harryreid.com fraud and wwww.harryreid.com scam doesn't link to a site saying www.harryreid.com is a scam.

I will donate, but I am not so sure that someone who makes it so hard to donate to his re-election committee is a political genius. I mean really I am trying to send money to the Senator's campaign committee. I have never had any trouble giving money away before.

The whole point of a "public option" is to eventually bankrupt insurance companies and monopolize the system through yet another bloated, inefficient government program. It's the thin edge of the wedge.

Interestingly, Obama and his media shills (like Krugman at the NY Times) keep trying to reassure everyone that the plan is as "good" as that of, say, Massachusetts. Well guess what, if states wanted that they could have enacted their own.

And it's also worth noting that one reason the US has high healthcare costs is because of ALREADY EXISTING government healthcare programs, like Medicare. Basically the Democrats use their past failed programs as an excuse to create other programs. In 20 years when this public option nationwide healthcare program is trillions of dollars in the red, they'll undoubtedly have some other brilliant gigantic government program that will control this one's costs. It's all so tediously predictable. 'course, they'll run out of taxpayer money eventually, eventually realizing the Democrats' ultimate dream world where everyone is equal in society: broke and miserable.

'this is a win-win situation if we can get the Southern Party of No to Opt out.

dividing the nation into red/blue, haves amd have nots is good for the country exactly how? Some how I thought the DNC and Howard Dean had started to reach out to southern states,can't see how this does anything more then drive southern states further to the right?

Harry Reid hasn't lost the skills he deployed many years ago as a Golden Gloves middleweight in Las Vegas. And it seems that some of his present disparagers underestimate his effectiveness much as his opponents in the ring probably did before.

Dear President Olympia Snow,
I just woke up after voting for Obama last Nov. 4th and finally realize that you are actually the President. You are the suzerain to the tributary Obama who remains one of 100 of the Senate and owes fealty to you. Please command Obama to support the Medicare Public Option. He seems to be missing again when the thing get hot in the kitchen, as Hillary said would happen.

What is wrong with the Republicans? Isn't it obvious to anyone with a brain that when the government runs things, quality and efficiency goes up? You would think that not a single Republican has ever visited their local post office or DMV. Moreover, when the government provides us with what we need, it is totally free. And if the government spends too much money to run these programs, it can just print more. Its like magic! The Republicans just don't get it.

A study released by Reuters on October 26 regarding health care in the US revealed the following:
* Unnecessary care such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure makes up 37 percent of healthcare waste or $200 to $300 a year.
* Fraud makes up 22 percent of healthcare waste, or up to $200 billion a year in fraudulent Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.
* Administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork account for 18 percent of healthcare waste.
* Medical mistakes account for $50 billion to $100 billion in unnecessary spending each year, or 11 percent of the total.
* Preventable conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes cost $30 billion to $50 billion a year.
"The average U.S. hospital spends one-quarter of its budget on billing and administration, nearly twice the average in Canada," reads the report, citing dozens of other research papers.
"American physicians spend nearly eight hours per week on paperwork and employ 1.66 clerical workers per doctor, far more than in Canada," it says, quoting a 2003 New England Journal of Medicine paper by Harvard University researcher Dr. Steffie Woolhandler.
Yet primary care doctors are lacking, forcing wasteful use of emergency rooms, for instance, the report reads. (WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE CURRENT DOCTOR SHORTAGE ONCE OBAMA/PELOSI CARE COMES ABOUT?????)

These self serving politicians are leading us down a primrose path to destruction. Who is going to hold a gun to the head of a capable individual and DICTATE THEY WILL BECOME A DOCTOR!! For Pete's sake folks, look at the mess they have made with everything they have touched -- including vaccine for swine flu!!

Medicare spent $428 billion in fiscal 2009 to insure 30 million people. When you do the math, that works out to $14,266 per person or $1,189 per month per person. Now that's government efficienciency!!!

If Reid really wants to do the country a service he would work to craft a bill containing provisions that actually addressed the spiraling cost of health care. A public option won't do this. Despite claims made to the contrary, health insurance company overhead averages about 15% in this country. In other words, 85% of health insurance company revenue is paid out in medical claims. Profit margins fall into the 2-6% range (and are included in the 15% overhead I mentioned above). So there isn't some vast pool of health insurance company profits or overhead that can be reduced by competition, from the government or from anyone else. Any claim to the contrary is wishful thinking for a free lunch. The REAL issue here is that EVERYONE in the health care industry - Doctors, hospitals, drug and device manufacturers, and the health insurance companies, have an incentive to raise prices and revenue, and there is no effective counter-party to resist this "virtuous circle" amongst the players. The folks paying the bills have too little power. Reid's plan does not address this issue. Indeed, adding the government's pot of money to this mix has most of the players licking their lips in joy. The government is simply not very good at getting the best value for their money. It's not hard to predict what will happen - a couple of percentage points may be squeezed from the insurnace companies, but that will be dwarfed by the profit increases for other health care industry firms. And taxpayers, companies, and individuals will see relentless increases in their cost for healthcare.

Reid, you act more useless everyday. YOU CLOWNS don't have a CLUE in what you are doing. PUT THE F---ING BILL on the WEB, LET THE PEOPLE SEE HOW "STUPIDLY" RIDICULOUS IT IS WRITTEN and how it will fail, how the ILLEGALS will be COVERED, then talk. YOU "HACKS" are as DUMB AS "CURIOUS GEORGE".

a win-win because they have so many fat folks. It will be a competition, in one you will have the public - option, and in the 2nd, Insurance companies trying to show they can do it better. I did not create the Red State, Blue State system, the thing is, there is always a religious opt out. If you did not let the states opt out for States rights reasoning they would use religion, which they will probably try anyway.

This may wake up those voters in Red States. When their governors said they would not accept stimulus money, they got a lot of flake and most the governors had to back down and their GOP legislators were standing with shovels in photo opts on how they brought the bacon home even as voters saw the hypocracy. Those GOP governors and legislators will move to opt out of the public option and turn off their long suffering voters. Let them take a stand and obstruct and get the pay back from the voters

Under pressure from less than 20% (liberals) that represent America, and you wonder why you can not find republicans, you cannot even find moderates, those who got you elected. This is the theft of private rights, privacy, and most of all, this continues the slippery slope march to Socialism , pure and simple. All the smoke and mirrors in the world do not change that. This coming from people who cannot even get a public H1N1 vaccine or a clunker program right. If this trash passes, I sure hope it finds its way to the Supreme Court. Federal government administration of Healthcare is not an authorized power of congress.

Poor repukes. First they get blown-out in the election and now they get screwed by the democratic majority leader. Time for the wingnut fat and angry white man's revolution, with General Gasbag Glenn Beck leading the charge.

Reid came onboard after Obama called the dissidents and Reid up on the carpet on healthcare and the public option. His 20th fundraiser as president was at the Mandarin Hotel in NYC at $30,000 a head getting the party 6 million. His ground game used in the election is largely intact and one fundraiser is more than the PAC money in small states. I think they got 60 with or without Snowe whose future amendments may be adopted. GOP states that did not take extended unemployment have angry voters that may not blame Obama, especially with a job increasing good Christmas season.

At last! Now we can all look forward to equitably lousy healthcare for everyone that cannot afford private govcare plus plans. We can all look forward to waiting 2-3 yrs in debilitating pain for a hip replacement etc.. just like people in Canada, the UK, or Germany do where healthcare is so great! Thank goodness we are going to address the inefficiencies in our system that serves 85% of us well by tearing it down. It makes me proud that the well intentioned but simple people can be so easily manipulated by our virtuous and selfless pols! Huzzah America and well done!

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

"What is wrong with the Republicans? Isn't it obvious to anyone with a brain that when the government runs things, quality and efficiency goes up? You would think that not a single Republican has ever visited their local post office or DMV. Moreover, when the government provides us with what we need, it is totally free. And if the government spends too much money to run these programs, it can just print more. Its like magic! The Republicans just don't get it."
__________________________________

I love it; great sense of humor.

Reid and company have come up with a ridiculous Frankenstein plan. Any government-run, non-profit insurance company will eventually become a unmanagable entitlement just like every other unmanagable entitlement program that already exists. It will work for a while, and then it will become a stone around the neck of future generations, and no politicians will have the stones to 'fix' it. Sound familiar?

Medicare spent $428 billion in fiscal 2009 to insure 30 million people. When you do the math, that works out to $14,266 per person or $1,189 per month per person. Now that's government efficienciency!!!

Posted by: reginacoeli |

__________________________________________

1. There are 44 million Medicare recipients, not 30 million as you have claimed.

2. Medicare pays the health costs for the oldest and the most illness-prone segment of American society. As any actuary will tell you, including younger people in Medicare will bring down the per person cost.

3. Medicare operates at a management and overhead cost efficiency with which the insurance companies cannot compete. (And do not wish to compete. Hence the reason Medicare was established.)

4. One of the financial drags on Medicare is Medicare Advantage, a taxpayer-funded gift to the insurance companies from Bush and a Republican Congress.

To all the tea-bagger commenters who say they can't trust the government to run a health care system: put up or shut up. If you're over 65, quit Medicare; if you're poor, quit Medicaid; if you're a vet, quit the VA. That'll show 'em, huh?

Can't wait for a few years down the road, when the conservatives in Texas find out that their neighbors in New Mexico are getting better--and cheaper--health care.

Just wait, The easiest way to get a conservative to change his tune is to dangle a dollar in front of him.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

2010 & 12 Cannot Come Soon Enough!!

Posted by: FraudObama |

______________________________________

The mistake the goober classes make is in thinking that self-identified 'conservatives' are by definition Republicans.

They are not. And never have been.

"As recently as 2005, more than half (52%) of self-described conservatives identified with the Republican Party. Today, just 41% continue to do so, while the share of conservatives describing themselves as independents has risen from 22% to 32%. The increasing rejection of the GOP by many on the right reaches even into the most conservative Americans. Roughly 7% of Americans describe their ideological outlook as “very conservative”. Four years ago, 59% of these very conservative people identified with the Republican Party. Fewer than half (47%) do so today." ~ http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1516

Hence the fact that only 21% of registered voters are now self-identified Republicans.

To all the tea-bagger commenters who say they can't trust the government to run a health care system: put up or shut up. If you're over 65, quit Medicare; if you're poor, quit Medicaid; if you're a vet, quit the VA. That'll show 'em, huh?

Can't wait for a few years down the road, when the conservatives in Texas find out that their neighbors in New Mexico are getting better--and cheaper--health care.

Just wait, The easiest way to get a conservative to change his tune is to dangle a dollar in front of him.

Posted by: mgorman1 | October 26, 2009 5:32 PM | Report abuse

And the quickest way to get rid of a DIMOCRAT is to tell him/her they have to work for what they want. We'll see how many of you still stand behind a public option when 45-50% of your pay check goes to fund the plan. I guess either way you losers will finally carry your share. Oh and by the way, have you gotten you're H1N1 vac. Oh that's right the GOV. doesn't have enough. LOL What a dolt.

It's amazing (or not) how people can throw out "facts" that a simple search of wikipedia show to be false. Example: contrary to claims by WhatHeSaid, Medicare Advantage was introduced in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Wasn't Clinton president in 1997? I'm just picking on this as the most glaring example. Most of the numbers and "facts quoted in this thread are wrong. The crazys on the left and the right are JUST MAKING STUFF UP. Liberals or conservatives, the attitude is - tell any lie to get your way.

To all the tea-bagger commenters who say they can't trust the government to run a health care system: put up or shut up. If you're over 65, quit Medicare; if you're poor, quit Medicaid; if you're a vet, quit the VA. That'll show 'em, huh?

No problem lib, as long as we get all the tax money back was forced out of our paychecks to pay for this inefficient program. And once again it's a lib showing his hatred for the military. Personally, anyone has served this country should get better treatment than the VA and for free-they've earned it. And the VA is a prime example of the government involved in healthcare.

"Opt out" is a fallacy. States can opt out of the public option, but the citizens of those states cannot opt out of paying for it. I'm guessing most of the country will fall for this crap and follow along like the sheep we are.

Thanks Senator Reid. I don't like the opt out part but this is a start. I only hope that the bosses in the states that opt out have it come back to bite them. Also, everyone please donate only to individual senators and reps who are going to vote for the public option. Do not trust the congressional campaign to enforce loyalty .

Good timing, Harry. If others like me are being socked in the kisser with cold medical plan reality they will whole heartedly thank you.

My employer just sent around our 2010 medical options and it is stomach churning scary. My reasonable HMO plan has been discontinued. I am forced to pay more for a not so good POS or sign up for a different HMO plan which, at pre-employer contribution level, is $450 a month more than the HMO I chose last year for the same coverage!!!. That means I will pay about 1/3 more per month.

Also my employer is going after retirees big time. The so called "choices" have also jumped in price by 33% and also provide far far less with many "choices" no longer available.

What a world we live in. We are not just talking about healthcare costs higher than inflation we are talking about runaway inflation.

To all the tea-bagger commenters who say they can't trust the government to run a health care system: put up or shut up. If you're over 65, quit Medicare; if you're poor, quit Medicaid; if you're a vet, quit the VA. That'll show 'em, huh?

No problem lib, as long as we get all the tax money back was forced out of our paychecks to pay for this inefficient program. And once again it's a lib showing his hatred for the military. Personally, anyone has served this country should get better treatment than the VA and for free-they've earned it. And the VA is a prime example of the government involved in healthcare.

Got any more brilliant comments lib?

"IMAGINE"....NO LIBERALS!!

Posted by: cschotta1 | October 26, 2009 5:44 PM | Report abuse

Learn to read id1ot. I responded to the post. I didn't post that crap.

Why should states be able to opt-out? The rednecks here in NH do not speak for me. Individuals can already opt-out, this is just a loophole so that insurers can put their pressure on small time state legislatures.

Medicare has grown dramatically over the years and needs some reduction. Actually, many seniors are getting duplicate treatments and services. Once under Medicare and once under their supplemental policy. And in some cases taxpayers are getting hit with both bills.

I have a simple solution --- show up at your doctors office with your voters card

RepublicanTS can pay full price and get limited healthcare through their costly PRIVATE therefore RATIONED insurer. THEY CAN NEVER EVER APPLY FOR MEDICAREM, MEDICAID, FOOD STAMPS, COLLEGE EDUCATION GRANTS, HOUSING ASSITANCE, SOCIAL SECURITY OR ANY OTHER ENTITLEMENT including mail, public transportaion, child care etc JUST KEEP PAYING AND PAYING AND PAYING
NO BANKRUPTCY FOR YOU and no assistance when you need that very expensive chemotherapy - (IE DIE LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE MANY OF US DO)

ALL OTHERS go to the front of the line - pay your co-pay -get treated and return to your nice warm OWN BED that has not been lost to foreclosure or bankruptcy due to medical bills and sleep tight.

The whole concept of opting in or out is idiotic. What is the minimum number of states or people needed to support the economic model when this Rube Goldberg patchwork for heath care collapses. It is no too far off the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. This is just like any other insurance plan the more people in it, the more you spread the risk.

This bill smells of the 'just get it done' to make the political wonks (and administration) look good that "it's done". Having the option to opt-out will allow the healthcare industry to work the next 5yrs in pushing the biggest states to opt-out, then pressuring the smaller states to opt-out and then this bill goes into the trash heap as a waste of politician's time (then again, they don't care, they're still paid their big salary).

Should have took the opt-out out and just made it part of the bill. It's all about fairness and the opt-out just gave it to the healthcare industry.

It's amazing (or not) how people can throw out "facts" that a simple search of wikipedia show to be false. Example: contrary to claims by WhatHeSaid, Medicare Advantage was introduced in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Wasn't Clinton president in 1997? I'm just picking on this as the most glaring example. Most of the numbers and "facts quoted in this thread are wrong. The crazys on the left and the right are JUST MAKING STUFF UP. Liberals or conservatives, the attitude is - tell any lie to get your way.

Posted by: Steve-2 |

____________________________________

Not exactly.

It was Medicare Plus+Choice that was passed in 1997. (Part C).

Medicare Advantage came into being in 2003 after the passage of Bush's $1.5 TRILLION tax-payer funded giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry known as the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.

"Because of the 2003 law's overpayments, the number of organizations offering Fee-for-Service plans has increased dramatically, from 11 in 2006 to almost 50 in 2008"

"The Government Accountability Office reported that in 2006, the plans earned profits of 6.6 percent, had overhead (sales, etc.) of 10.1 percent, and provided 83.3 percent of the revenue dollar in medical benefits. These administrative costs are far higher than traditional fee-for-service Medicare."

If you are going to read from Wikipedia, do try to understand what you are reading.

This is a great idea and I am sure the CBO will say it is deficit neutral. Get ready for taxes to start skyrocketing folks. Enjoy your money while you can cause the Democrats are about to rob you blind. Oh and there are much simpler fixes to the problems than the Democrats have proposed. This is just the start of government run health care.

It is mind boggling how the health care issue has to progress in such fits and starts with no honest debate about a single payer system. The civilised world seems to have shown that to work reasonably well.

One thing that seems to be out of the limelight is the student loans. After the government decided to make the loans directly to students at lower interest rates and better protection, private lenders bolted in mass. They could not compete because government subsidies ran out. This leads to believe that the private sector likes subsidies when it's the one who is getting them, not the people the subsidies are meant to help. The same will happen in health care and the American taxpayers will finally get the benefits.

About time the politicians listened to the vast majority of voters, instead of the lobbyists!

As to the Red States opting out, this would be great, as they have the unhealthiest people, so this would make the public option even MORE competitive for the for-profit plans. And probably result in a number of un-elected GOPers in those states as people realized that.

Finally the Progressives voice is being heard. It wasn't to long ago that the republican naysayers and the conservative lackeys to the insurance money were saying that there'd be no health reform. That the teabaggers had saved the country from the socialists.Finally the people are getting their voice heard because the vast majority of Americans really do stand up for whats right and thats the premise that this country was founded upon. We're all in this together it's not the Madoff/republican philosophy of every man for himself.Keep the pressure on.

I was talking with my neighbor over the weekend. A conservative all in a tizzy over the impending "socialist" health care.

It's not socialized medicine. Socialized medicine is VA health care. THAT is socialized medicine. He said "No, it's not."

I replied. Of course it is. Government facilities, e.g., Walter Reed, government doctors, government nurses, government medical equipment. ... THAT is socialized medicine and there isn't anyone that I know of that is promoting shutting down that socialized medicine program.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

What is becoming apparent is that the Dems have finally realized the moves to pass legislation in this Congress is akin to a chess game: you've got to be about five or six moves ahead of your opposition, play it strictly with a poker face, and never telegraph your next move ahead of time. Reid & Co. are playing it just right for a change.

A public option with opt-out provisions is no public option at all. We need a Strong Public Option with no opt-out provisions. The public option is already opt-out. No on has to use it if they don't want to. What this does is allow states with particularly noisome governors or legislatures to screw their citizens.

Reid is a spineless joke- we MUST HAVE a strong public option, or health care reform won't work.

The poor wingnuts out here wetting their diapers over the prospect of the Democrats, and our President, getting credit for this much-needed legislation are very amusing, no? If the Fox "news"-watching squirrel-sandwicheaters are against it...

If the gov't can't even get you a flu shot how in the world do you think they can handle ALL your medical needs?

Has the gov't ever managed to meet a budget?

More redistribution.......

Posted by: jeffreid1

===

The government delivers my mail fine every day, and FedEx expanded in the process..

+++++++++++++

The same goverment run Postal Service that is going broke... Give me a break

Posted by: edwardmartin
===

OK, I'll give you one, if you read the history of this great country.

The U.S. Postal Service was organized under Benjamin Franklin on July 26, 1775 by decree of the Second Continental Congress. Based on a clause in the United States Constitution empowering Congress "To establish Post Offices and post Roads,"

Explain why is it that the founding fathers of this great country started the USPS?

Explain why it is a bad idea for the government to do anything under the stupid guise of the lame FOX "News" argument" "Name one thing the government has run well!"

Well, it is the USPS. If you think it is not, name ONE thing that the private sector has done that well for that long?

What is the ONE private sector company that has even been around that long?

All businesses eventually must change or become irrelevant. The USPS is just an example.

and the free cheese-eater's are sopping it up with their stale bread too. More free stuff for me pleeze!
No matter, most of us will find ways to circumvent this debacle, and figure ways to compensate come tax time.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year: the 35% of independents describing their views as conservative in 2009 is up from 29% in 2008. By contrast, among Republicans and Democrats, the percentage who are "conservative" has increased by one point each.

As is typical in recent years, Republicans are far more unified in their political outlook than are either independents or Democrats. While 72% of Republicans in 2009 call their views conservative, independents are closely split between the moderate and conservative labels (43% and 35%, respectively). Democrats are about evenly divided between moderates (39%) and liberals (37%).

Why should the old feeble non-working people GET better care than anybody else??

This is the arguement of the REPUBLCIANT== They all are for KEEPING MEDICARE going (A pure socialist government run healthcare at its worst) at the cost of leaving the majority of the country (Children and hard working adults) without affordable coverage.

The REPUBLICANTs only put up with MEDICARE is to GET THE GEEZER VOTE - I say screw the geezers - COVERAGE THE WORKING PEOPLE.

Congress is moving health care legislation in which the role of government will evolve to defining what health insurance is. The Government proposes forcing me to buy a policy that covers what government dictates, tracking my behavior through the Internal Revenue Service to see if I have complied, fining me if I haven't and sending me to jail if I refuse to do it.

Government will expand to tell employers that they have to provide government-defined insurance to their employees or be fined. And government will tell insurance companies who they have to insure and how much they can charge to do it.

And we'll spend $1 trillion or so that will come one way or another out of taxpayer hides to subsidize individuals who can't afford to buy this government-defined health insurance.

Sounds like the same thing Congress said when it created the Direct Loan Program. It's important to have competition. Now, it's no longer important to have competition in student loans: we need a government monopoly. Why not skip all the interim confusion, Sen. Reid, and go straight to socialized medicine? Who needs insurance companies?

Anyone that watched 60 minutes last Sunday can see the corruption in Medicare and the mishandling by government. A government run health care plan would be even more impossible to rein in. This would require an agency to overlook an agency that overlooks another agency and round 'n round goes the merry-go-round. We need less government in our lives, not more!

Anybody watch the "60 Minutes" segment Sunday on the estimated $60 billion in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims that the government didn't catch?

If the government can't even manage oversight of these fairly narrow 40 year-old programs, criminals must be licking their chops at the prospect of the wealth to be made from a program that potentially includes so many more names they can use to submit fraudulent claims.

Allow insurance companies to sell their product across State lines just as oranges and every other product is sold to increase competition and thereby lower prices. As Charles Krauthammer pointed out if orange growers could not sell their products across State lines oranges would be very expensive in Wisonsin in the winter.
Take away insurance companies anti-trust waiver and they will make even less than profit than they do now in health care, 2.2 % listed in Fortune Magazine as #35 in profits. Heinz Ketchup makes twice as much profit and Kerry the hypocrite rags on the insurance companies.
The Democrats have a mental disease when it comes to big government, spending trillions and creating a new bureaucracy costing trillions of dollars and overwhelming our health care system while killing jobs with high taxes and forced insurance plans.
The mental disease is called socialism

Polls say the people want a public option. It was ~75% before the Neocon/Industry fear campaign in August. Now it still fluctuates between 55-65%

If it is successful, the Red politicians that oppose in their States will be the last hurrah for the Reagan/Neocon revolution. They will have lost, and maybe the Republican party too will be extinct.

That's fine with me, because the Democrats are too right-wing internationally anyway. The death of the Republican party might see a split in the Democratic Party, and perhaps, a multi-party system with runoffs, the only thing that could probalbly save this country in the long run.

The opt-out provision is total BS. What will happen is that southern states will disenfranchise their poor and their working class from health care. When those folks get sick, they will have the choice of coming north for medical care or dying. If there is an opt out, there must be a provision preventing the people of the opt-out states from coming north for medical care.

Under pressure from less than 20% (liberals) that represent America, and you wonder why you can not find republicans, you cannot even find moderates, those who got you elected. This is the theft of private rights, privacy, and most of all, this continues the slippery slope march to Socialism , pure and simple. All the smoke and mirrors in the world do not change that. This coming from people who cannot even get a public H1N1 vaccine or a clunker program right. If this trash passes, I sure hope it finds its way to the Supreme Court. Federal government administration of Healthcare is not an authorized power of congress.

You all do know, that there are 50 states that could provide competition, vs one illegal Federal Government plan.

All Congress would have to do, is their constitutional duty provided for under the commerce clause. But hey, that does not give bureaucrats power, it gives power to the people, as a one liberal recently put it, "the people are not smart enough" to have that kind of power.

Thank you Senator Reid, Speaker Pelosi, and President Obama for all the hard work you and other Democrats have put into leveling the playing field for the American people. Despite the lies spread by the insurance industry and its representatives in the Republican party; despite the death threats and hate rallies funded by lobbyists -- you're listening to the American people instead of to the Big Money being waved in front of you.

With a majority of Americans in favor of the public option - astonishing, if you consider all the misinformation and scare tactics targeted against it by the insurance companies and the GOP - Senator Reid's decision to include the public option restores my faith in democracy!

With a majority of Americans in favor of the public option-Posted by: jviolin

Another disgusting lie, SHAME

and if it was true, not even the people can trump the constitution, unless they do it the right way, and a simple 60 votes just will not vote the constitutional powers of congress away, there are only 18, and Federal Government Administration of Healthcare is not one of them. This is a State duty.

You have to love "Patriots" who probably didn't know who Mao was until Beck or Limbaugh mentioned it in one of their paranoid rants. A fool is someone who thinks he studies history from the foot of another fool.

To all you conservatives...looks like you are going to lose again, I hope. It did not have to be this way. The problems were relatively simple to solve and they could have been easily solved with targeted legislation. Simply, make the insurance companies do the job they were supposed to do and that is simply INSURE people. No more exclusion based on pre-existing conditions. No more outrageously high premiums on individual and family policies not related to employment. No more calling mainstream therapies like transplants or cardiac assist devices "experimental" and refusing thus to cover them. And no more dumping clients when they need their coverage the most which is when they are sick or dying. The litany of horrors could continue but the point is well made and undeniable. The Republicans, firmly in the pocket of the health insurance lobby, opted to simply oppose any and all reform. And thus it became a victory or death struggle and so...your side is dying. Ask yourself this...if you are a governor or representative or senator...and you are running for re-election...is your platform going to be "I REFUSED to support health care reform"? Well if that's the hill on which your party has chosen to die, enjoy the taste of dirt. Your side is going to be eating a lot of it for quite a while.

So the public option lives, Now if only those few cowardly dems in congress would show they work for those that elected them into office we might really get this thing going for real.Dems in congress need to understand the majority of the people voted for change, including healthcare reform ~WITH~ a public option, now what part of that do they not understand???They are seeming more and more like the tired old party of (no) and maybe they should just switch to the rebublican party, at least then they wouldent be so twofaced.

It amazes me that whenever congress contemplates spending money on the public at large their sudden concern about deficits always works to hamstring that very same. They never seem to voice the same concerns when comes to invading another country, or bailing out Wall Street or giving the rich yet another tax break. Don't let these slick SOB's deliver an empty health care bill.

Lets just take a logic break for a second. Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are already the bulk of our yearly budget ... and the bulk of our national debt and deficet. Both the debt and deficet has exploded under President Obama and this democrat congress. We have no money.
Those 3 government programs are so pooly run that they are broke, busted, not a cent of real money in them.

Nationalized health care will just put us further and further in debt all while lowereing our standard of care. There is no way it can improve our health care, only make it sub standard.

This is a bad idea that will end us as a free nation.

I will do everything in my power to see the ones responsible kicked out of office and this evil bill repealed.

I gota tell you, this paper and its readers are worse than H1N1 virus,I never thought there were so few people that understood the constitution, but after reading this string of comments, 200+ years of freedom, is really in jeopardy.

"The government delivers my mail fine every day, and FedEx expanded in the process.."

Yes, you are correct, but you seem to have forgotten that the post office isn't government funded. They charge a fee for their service. Oh, and by the way, they keep raising their rates (stamp prices).

In other news, Senator Reid announced after careful review of his email and phone messages from moveon.org and someone identifying himself as a Mr. George Soros, he was planning to undergo a sex change operation, and put his full support behind the legalization of all recreational drugs.

Ultimately this is about Liberty, which to most of us is the essence of America. The Democrats have made it clear they are going to ram some version of their bill down our throats whether we like it or not. And even if it gets scaled back and the public option is eliminated, tremendous discretionary power is given to bureaucrats. So the Obama administration will implement whatever regulations it sees fit, and get to socialized medicine that way. This is tyranny pure and simple - utter disdain for democracy. There's only one way to stop it: Make it absolutely clear to our representatives that THEY WILL BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE IF THEY SUPPORT IT. There is a website where you can pledge to vote against politicians supporting the bill. Representatives will then be informed of how many votes they are losing. It is called http://www.PledgeOfLiberty.com

I am going to paste a "repeat" comment that has been used by numerous ppl to rebut and demonize the public option. These blanket comments mean NOTHING because they were generated by those who don't understand that,essentially, all we are saying is...Medicare for Everyone! Here goes the "copycat" email that ppl who can't make a decision ON THEIR OWN were directed to copy and paste and use as comments wherever they found an opportunity.

the gov't can't even get you a flu shot how in the world do you think they can handle ALL your medical needs?

Has the gov't ever managed to meet a budget?

More redistribution.......

Posted by: jeffreid1

===

The government delivers my mail fine every day, and FedEx expanded in the process..

Posted by: Crucialitis | October 26, 2009 3:28 PM | Report abuse

Too bad neiter are Gov. entities. Where have you been the last 15 years? Prision??

btw, pls note that these folks can't spell either. are they illegal alieans? terrorists? how can you trust them to speak for you?

americans, wake up before it's too late:
MEDICARE FOR EVERYONE!!! It ain't broke and it don't need to be fixed.

My first reaction is: anything, ANYTHING! to foil the greedy robber barons who run the private health insurance companies. The fact that they have been exempted from anti-trust laws for so long is our national shame. Blood is on their hands--as if they cared.

On opt-out: Who will decide? Governors, state legislators? Why not take it directly to the people? Political leaders should love that, since they escape any blame for a wrong decision. Let the tinhorn "town hall" loudmouths have it exactly as they want it--for themselves, but not for me.

It's a good idea! Really -- If I understand the basics of it, states could opt out of the program. Fine, to hell with them. Let those hillbillies running the anti-reform states (i.e. the Republicans) just try and cut off their citizens from joining in. Once the program starts and is proven a success, residents of those states which 'opted-out' will soon demand their legislators change their positions. Why should an American citizen of Alabama or Florida have to suffer without insurance while someone in Michigan or Wisconsin can choose the new Public Option plan? Very well played, Mr. Ried, very well played indeed!

First pass it with a right to refusal. Then make them an offer they can't refuse. Democrats will begin to tie all kinds of federal money to taking single payer.

This is still a Trojan Horse to get total goverment control over healthcare. They won't be happy until everyone has crappy healthcare. Oh by the way, those obscene (6%) insurance company profits will be more than consumed by the unionized bureaucracy that will be rationing death. I never realized how close the Democrats were to Al Qaeda. Both can now proudly proclaim: "Death to America". The death will be financial and physical.

Reid is a snake.

Democrats created a social welfare system that is bankrupt. Their answer? More socialism. The Age of Heroic Medicine will return. Bleeding, blistering and purging will become standard operating procedures. Democrats won't be happy until we have all the perks and luxuries of the average Cuban.

How many members of congress will be in the public option? Will Obama and his family? Never. They will set up a separate system unavailable to the public. Just like he sends his kids to Sidwell, he'll never let the public plan touch them. This is the Leftist way. Next thing you know they'll all have dachas on the Black Sea, er, I mean the Chesapeake.

Wow. Maybe Senator Reid sees the writing on the wall for his re-election chances and wants to do something that matters before he is out. Whatever it is, thanks for growing a set Harry.

Maybe in a decade or so, America can join the rest of the first world with quality health care for nearly all of its citizens. The people citing "2:1 opposition", despite polls showing a majority support the public option can refuse to use it for all I care. Maybe they will threaten to leave...take the tea party elsewhere. Would that be such a bad thing?

If the GOP is going to keep focusing on these Bible-thumping, anti-gay, anti-government, tea bagging, Obama conspiracy theorist, then they will lose whatever momentum they may have right now with people getting disenchanted with Obama and Pelosi.

I would believe Satin,Telling me he is a chirstian at heart,Before I believe reid is doing us a favor,& looking out for us,Why did reid,pelosi,franks,& spector,& the rest of the demon's,Have close door meeting,Leaveing the repub's OUT,What happen to the public view,b.o. the out in the open desussions,I guess he missed spoke,again,again,& again,The true American people have spoke,Why in the hell we can't VOTE on such an important bill,They are NOT OUR GODS,To tell us WHAT WE NEED, WE have already said NO,But this corrupt goverment,Acts like we are nothing,We don't count.They have screwed up s.s.,medicare,& medicade,All these creeps have to do is keep their damn hands out of s.s.,medicare,& medicade,Quit takeing pay off's,And put doctors,Lawyers,& the other thieves,That file false clames,In damn prison!,Simple. Take the lice, from doctors,lawyers,Put their stealing Butts in prison,Any body brakeing the law a min,25-yrs in prison,Problem solved,No tax increach,Everybody happy.reid is a snake,with two heads.Why can't the liberals understand nothing is a free hand,It is going to cost them latter,But they are so greedy,wanting something for nothing,They thing that when the goverment is giveing them something,They believe,the polititions is giveing it to them,They are not smart enough to know,The real goverment is the American people,& their TAX'ES, Pays for these[free bees].

I agree with Websterr1. If the democrats are so sure that the Americal people want the bill they are trying to pass then lay it out on the table for everyone to read. What makes the democrats in Washington so sure the American people are too stupid to know what they want? Pretty arogant if you ask me. Why are they hiding this thing behind those closed doors anyway?

hey Dickie try learning to spell and properly use punctuation. Satan is spelled S A T A N and I can't believe you got THAT one wrong. C'mon you want us to take you seriously and you can't even spell the name of the Prince of Darkness? And NO the Prince of Darkness is not spelled O B A M A...just thought I would pre-empt that one for you, before you further embarrassed yourself.

think that Senator Reid and President Obama should corral all of the Liberal and Conservative Democrats together and gain some consensus on the Public Option and then proceed. Forget about Olympia Snowe and the Republicans since they were never on board with healthcare reform in the first place and in the second place, their real agenda is to slow down and eventually kill any healthcare reform initiative. I want to see party discipline and solidarity in the Democratic Party. President Obama should be inculcating both and showing leadership in this issue. Everyone should be marching in lock step in the same direction on this issue. To do this, everyone has to put aside his/her petty preferences and agendas and do what is good for the nation as well as the party. Doing this would be the salvation of the nation and the party.

think that Senator Reid and President Obama should corral all of the Liberal and Conservative Democrats together and gain some consensus on the Public Option and then proceed. Forget about Olympia Snowe and the Republicans since they were never on board with healthcare reform in the first place and in the second place, their real agenda is to slow down and eventually kill any healthcare reform initiative. I want to see party discipline and solidarity in the Democratic Party.

The Public Option is neither "Dead" or "Red" as retarded right wing-nuts would like to believe!

What's made the difference? Millions of employer based recipients recently received their 2010 benefit plans and the average cost increase for medical insurance is averaging between 10% to 20% in an economy where we are experiencing zero growth in the inflation rate.

I would submit that when government takes over healthcare, as Democrats want, all healthcare will be proportionally reduced from those CEO salary figures to that of a GS-15. Your get what you pay for.

By the way, what was the salary of the president of Giant Foods? Safeway? Isn't it immoral to make a profit off of food? We need it to survive. How about Ryland homes? Don't we all need shelter? Shouldn't home builders be non-profits?

Let's get rid of all profits and regulate all salaries like the Democrats want. It worked out so well in Soviet Russia and Mao's China.

After 8 years of unfettered rape and pillage of the American people by the corporations' paid shills, Bush/Cheney, comes a president who speaks the right words...words...words...Now, out of nowhere, a leader emerges with the courage to act, to do the right thing. Harry Reid of Nevada. What more is there to say? Keep on fighting the good fight. No one will thank you but the poor and the suffering. You are on the side of the angels. Thank you, Senator Reid.

Well, at least one testicle has finally descended. Now maybe the Dems will stop sucking up to the out of power GOP for one vote. (Here's a hint--they LOST! You don't need them) Now, pass a real healthcare reform bill and stop worrying about what the GOP thinks.

This guy Reid represents everything rotten about the United States of America. He knows the public option will kill him politically, but Obama has promised him a corner office on K Street with the leftist lobbying group of his choice..

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 29% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove

Barack Hussein Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack "Mr Olympics" Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack Hussein Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack "Mr Olympics" Obama GONE GONE GONE

Yes, kids will be singing this in all the schools....better learn it now

The time has come again for Americans to stand up against government health care once again. We must not let the Senators in Washington believe that we have grown weary of this issue. We must stand up against the tyranny of government health care.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 29% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove

Barack Hussein Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack "Mr Olympics" Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack Hussein Obama GONE GONE GONE

Barack "Mr Olympics" Obama GONE GONE GONE

Yes, kids will be singing this in all the schools....better learn it now

The only saving grace is that advocates of health care reform don't call themselves young reformers. Remember how young reformers were going to save Russia in the early 1990's? After Summers gave Russia 20 billion dollars and Harvard was investigated, we ended up with ex KGB Putin in charge and rich. He is still in charge. He is even richer. No young reformers around anymore.
But Shleifer is still at Harvard and Summers is back.

Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Democrats are incompetent to do ANYTHING, NO GOVERNMENT CRAP CARE AT ALL.

When will health care reform take place?

1) When Americans learn to take care of THEMSELVES and not whine to the government for everything...an expensive, wasteful and freedom losing way to handle most problems. Adult diabetics as well as MANY problems can be solved by LEARNING about your own body and what it needs and what it doesn't need and How to take care of it...no excuses.
If this is NOT serious enough for YOU to take care of, why should anybody else do it.

2) When the government is HONEST and will say that there are about 12 million that really need help and that 177 million are happy with what the present system with some improvements.

3) When the government quits being a bunch of little babies behind the wheel, outrageously vilifying insurance companies and doctors FOR OWN THEIR AGENDA.
Insurance companies are HIGHLY REGULATED by State governments...HIGHLY REGULATED.

4) When this present government GETS OUT OF BED WITH the Ambulance Chasers and the Slip and Slide Lawyers like Edwards. He, like others, bring phony science into court, turn those court rooms into soap operas and wipe out the High risk Obstetricians and drive up the cost of insurance so they can live in Palatial Estates.

5) *Preexisting conditions are NOT a problem in states with Risk Pools.
*End the government ban on Interstate Insurance Competition
*Allow Insurance to be even more portable.
*Allow more groups to form Insurance Pools
*Fix Medicaid to do what it was intended

All the above are very reasonable changes for starters that will help tremendously with out killing businesses or taking away health care from the 130 million Americans who are very happy with their present care.

Last but NOT least. Vote for those that are competent and will READ the trillion dollar bills they inflict on everyone else and FORCE congress to be apart of EVERTHING that they inflict on everybody else.

This is what we do know about Obama.
He's the Commander in Chief with No Military experience, He's the Chief Executive with No Executive experience, he has No business experience, NO economic experience, NO financial experience, No Foreign affair experience, No mayor, NO governor, Nothing. And he surrounds himself with Tax Cheats, Chicago thugs, incompetents, radical loony perverted Czars and has Democrat accomplices in congress that can't even READ the trillion dollar pork packages and Obama/Pelosi Government Crap Care they put their X on and inflict on Americans.
Tingly legged Obama voters, you out did yourselves.

Unemployment rising to 10%, Taxes on EVERYBODY will be rising(just watch, I mean EVERYBODY), Businesses in financial straits...

Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Democrats are not to be trusted in ANYTHING...No GOVERNMENT CRAP CARE AT ALL

Still gutless. Now states have an incentive to deny healthcare so that the poorest workers move to other states. It takes guts to force a mandate down people's throats, and that is precisely what is called for here. It takes no guts to propose options.

With Nationalistic Views gives root to the tryants called by History "Kings Ship", I do say I think sence the Nations Leader-ship Obama has for gotten so much of the historyical pit "fails". Say May be the Revolutionary War, And what King Ship Rule Did and the Nationalisitcs of the Stamp Act and the Hemp War, I do say we then need to call up the Queen and Say My dear good lady for give us that stood with heart of We dare yee not come and feel my cold steal, Be Red Better of Dead, and lets let the mis-stake be for given please and as we again bow to the crown we beg you good queen send these our trator Leader ship Obama to the tower for "Sedition"....

this should make the state elections more fun to watch.it may really change the whole political picture.ther are a lot of low income uninsured in the south.could be like the stimulus republicans voted against it then went to photo ops when their state or district received the check.

It's funny to me that every poll I've read, the public is against the government option. They must be citing the ABC Washington Post poll, that always over samples democrats by a huge margin...The dems seem hell bent on getting the public option past, and only we can stop them....http://cooperscopy.blogspot.com/

Opt-out is strategically so brilliant it seems like a Republican scheme! Those elected officals opting-out will find out first-hand how difficult it is to find and pay for private insurance on the open market, following the next elections immediately after their opting-out.

Health Care "Opt-out" provision for states is a back door trojen horse for socialized medicine…..Instead of the CBO analyzing “the effect of "a number of alternatives that is a different meld of those two bills," Price Waterhouse Cooper, 2nd largest Accounting firm in the world, should double check the math on all these different HC bills as well. At least we would know if the math was the general consensus or NOT!
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Reid says --- "I'm always looking for Republicans. ... It's just a little hard to find them, and we've had to do a lot of this on our own."

ANSWER: Reid knows if you say it enough times you even begin believing your own lies. But, this is normal for Reid and his liberal buddies.

""Polls say that the majority of Americans oppose a "Public Option." Polls also say that a majority of Americans are in favor of a "government run insurance policy that you can buy as an alternative to buying from an insurance company."…..If they had just called it "Medicare," it would be up and running, and almost everyone who is already covered by private insurance would be saving a boatload of money on premuims. Posted by: scottilla””””
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Specifically, whose polls are you looking at Scott?

""I like this idea for a public option. This lets all those red states opt out and keep sticking to the little guy, but the rest of America gets health care reform. Oh no, I live in a red state."" Posted by: gbcoleman871
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Sticking it? Yes, right.....Guess you will have to move to a blue state then. Red states are sick and tired of those that base their whole well being on entitlement programs.....But i say forget the Opt out bullsh*t. This is just a con and a back door anyways. Red states say to blue states - You want socialism? Then - Blue, YOU are on your own to foot the bill for these stupid fabricated crisis entitlement programs.

Reid along with his chaos and word name play, is just performing another one of his famous Magic Shows. Reid along with Pelosi are the biggest magician CONS ever. People, don't buy in to the "STATE OPT OUT" proposal. This opt out is just a back door in to socialized medicine.....Reid, you are pretty unpopular and will soon be going down in your own state of Nevada...Can't wait to see justice.

Maybe they will threaten to leave...take the tea party elsewhere. Would that be such a bad thing? If the GOP is going to keep focusing on these Bible-thumping, anti-gay, anti-government, tea bagging, Obama conspiracy theorist, then they will lose whatever momentum they may have right now with people getting disenchanted with Obama and Pelosi. Posted by: BurtReynolds
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BurtReynolds, You are even stupider than once imagined. You have not recited one truth here. “Opt out” is a joke and a back door to socialism. Your 2:1 in favor of Obamacare is even a bigger joke….We have the best and highest quality of care in the world now, but won’t after Obama and his greedy thugs get finished screwing our HC system up. And, MDAnderson - Houston and MAO out of MN will be a “once upon a time” phenomenon of the past….Check the polls and stop spinning. See Rasmussen stats above…..If all Tea Party folks went away, who would pay idiot? Certainly not the entitled people like yourself. Tea party folks mainly make up the middle class. You don’t want middle class in your ideal world anymore? That’s called Marxist Revolutionist Alinsky communism…..What do you have against Bible thumpers? Do bible thumpers scare you? Well good!….Gays? Wow!!!! HaHa!! Many gays won’t appreciate your statement here Burt. Not all non Christians and/or gays are Alinsky Marxist Liberals! You have just insulted thousands in just one sentence. You are on a role.

OK Burt you get the award for making the stupidest statements ever. Good thing you are given a script written by someone else when you contract for a job…..Sounds like you have put a lot of thought about those “disenchanted” with Obama. Well, yes the majority is NOW disenchanted with Master Obama and come the next election - thank Jesus God, we won‘t have to stay up late waiting for the election results….BTW, did you notice I typed in Jesus God? That’s just for you Burt.

# Public (state run) program
# Federal government minimally involved, only in monitoring and oversight
# Added medical tax at state level to replace much greater insurance premiums (total cost of insurance gratly reduced)
# Very affordable ($200 per month for adult) ($100 per month for child under 16)
# Employer charges: $100 to $500 per employee based on the number of employees
# Provides basic and catastrophic coverage
# 100% of population enrolled
# Illegal aliens will be enrolled if payments are made on their behalf
# Will not interfere with right to select own doctors
# There will be no interference with treatment prescribed by eligible health care providers (investigations may follow after the fact with heavy penalties for any fraud or abuse)
# Supplemental coverage possible (recommended) for coverage over and above care specified by program
# Reduces strain on Medicare and Medicaid
# Medicare and Medicaid considered supplemental
# Can be supplemented by welfare

The current proposal in Congress does not address any of the most meaningful issues in health care:

1) The need for single-payer insurance Multi-payer systems inflate health care costs and give 8-12% of total health system costs to private insurers in system waste

2) True universality of coverage in a plan that doesn’t create a second-class citizenry of the insured Congressional plans still leave 10-15% of our country insured and create a second-class system of the poor insured that will place them below Medicaid recipients with respect to stigma and prioritization of care

3) The crisis of doctor shortages and primary care deficits in American medical care Doctors are retiring at record rates and they are only being replaced at 75-85% rate because of a monopoly and market-control of the MD control by the AMA. Also, we have a 2/3 primary care / specialist ratio and 40% less per-capita doctors than the best European and Scandinavian countries. We have plenty of dermatologists and radiologists but not enough doctors to complete basic screenings and offer fundamental preventative care

4) Tax shortages for the Federal government and a lack of funding for the Medicare (and Social Security) trust funds With a $13 trillion deficit and annual budget deficits of greater than $500B, our country and our entitlement programs are heading for bankruptcy without a 7% across the board tax cut. The idea of providing greater benefits without tax hikes is a myth impossible through policy

5) Tort reform and the end of defensive medicine The featured research section of my website discusses the true costs of defensive medicine, which are high and staggering. Most studies that indicate these costs are 0.5% of total system costs are flawed econometric studies that poorly measure true indirect effects on health care costs within our American system

My website addresses these issues, and many more, as they related to health policy, comparative health systems and public health. I encourage you to all check the site out and appreciate your visits. Every visit also raises money that goes 100% to charity to fight disease.

A public option is long overdue. The public and small businesses at large have been gouged by the insurance industry, who have offered special pricing to large corporations, state government, county government and special favored organizations, leaving the rest of the public to make up for the special discounts these organizations have received. A public option will place us on a level playing field.